O'Donnell not taking league position for granted in cut throat Premier Division

Stephen O’Donnell hailed the impact of Keith Ward, after he came off the substitutes’ bench to score the decisive goal as Dundalk FC beat Sligo Rovers 1-0 last Saturday.

After netting five times in just 10 SSE Airtricity League starts last term, Ward’s headed winner in the 84th minute was the 32-year-old’s first goal of the current campaign.

“I tell you what, he’s playing the best football of his career now,” said O’Donnell afterwards. “He’s as fit as he’s ever been. He should be playing tonight, I couldn’t give him a good reason why he wasn’t, and then he’s come on and made the difference.

“He deserves it because of what he brings every training session and his quality and just the type of person he is around the place. I’m happy for him to get that header, makes it even more special, being the match winner, and he deserves that because he’s selfless.

“I’ve seen a difference in him over the last year in regards just giving it his all and just really focusing on the rest of his career. As soon as you do that, things like that happen.”

Excluding last season’s reversed 3-0 victory, this was Dundalk’s first success in Sligo since the 2019 FAI Cup semi-final, and their third win in a row in this season’s League of Ireland, which has lifted them up to fourth position in the Premier Division standings.

In contrast, The Lilywhites were sitting third from bottom three weeks ago, but now find themselves only six points behind league leaders Bohemians after 14 matches.

And, with 22 points accumulated, Dundalk’s tally was identical at the same stage last year, when they eventually finished third, level on points with runners-up Derry City.

“It could change the other way, but I never change my narrative,” insisted O’Donnell. “The league’s going to be like this. I think we’re six off top now? The league’s mad. I don’t know if it will settle down. There’s a lot of teams sort of not too far away from each other.

“I do (see improvements from last season). I just think the age profile’s good. I can see players growing in front of me and this will only breed confidence.

“Now, that’s not to say we’re going to go and win next week. I think you can see it as well from a player point of view. Our average age again tonight is very young. And we played like that. I thought we played like a young team, an energetic team and the players are growing in confidence.

“Logic will tell you, if there’s lads in their first years in the league, the first few games they’re going to evolve. They’re not going to come in, move to a new country and living away from their family, playing every week from not used to playing, backing it up in such a hectic schedule, without experienced lads with them who have been missing through injury.”

Next on the agenda for O’Donnell’s resurgent outfit is second from bottom Cork City, who make the long journey up to Oriel Park this coming Friday night (kick-off, 7.45pm).

Cork defeated Dundalk 1-0 at Turner’s Cross on Easter Monday, but have since parted company with head coach Colin Healy, who has been temporarily replaced with ex-St Patrick’s Athletic and Sligo manager Liam Buckley, who is also their director of football.

Healy’s departure last Wednesday came just one day after St Pats sacked Tim Clancy, and Dundalk head coach O’Donnell was sympathetic towards his outgoing counterparts.

FAI increases the ban of player involved in referee assault in Dundalk

Dundalk Supersub Keith Ward delighted to be finding his best form again

“They’re two lads who I know really well. I played with Healers for a year, I’m on the Pro Licence with him at the minute. I know Tim very well, we’re good pals. It’s tough.

“The league’s mad. So I don’t know, it’s like you come up with a couple of bad results and there’s decision-making. I suppose ultimately we know it’s a perilous job. It’s a tough industry, it’s an uncertain industry. We all, at some stage or another, are going to face it.”